West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-09-30
IN INDIAN CAPTIVITY.
A Pittsburgh Lady's Narrative Of Her
Great Great Observation-Disclosures
ing Scenes During and Succeed
ing Savage Massacre.

Great Great Grandmother--Dis
| ing Scenes During and Succeed
| ing Savage Massacre.
Mrs. Levi Wade in Pittsburgh Dispatch.
Deal not in high-wrough imaginings
Which, taking sober Judgment by the
foretop, ,
Plunge madly into the quicksands and
quagmires
OF falsehood and fiction; but let the tale
Thou weavest be ever true.
The eastern shore Of the Kennebec,
or, as the Indians called it, the Sag
adahoc river, was the home of the
once powerful tribe ofthe Pemaquids,
the aborigines of that part Of the
State of Maine. Not far from the
river bank, at point opposite the
city of Bath, once stood the home of
my ancestors, who belonged to the
colony planted in 1880 under the -di-
rection of Richard Vines, former
agent of Georges in the Pemaquid
territory. After many years of life
in the colony, they cleared the spot
indicated above and built themselves
a house, huge rock (still to be
seem serving as back wall, while
the front and ends were built Of logs
with an aperture for doorway-the
roof being made of saplings, covered
with bark.
At first the Indians were very ag-
gressive and annoying, but after a
time the tribe went farther north,
and for many years the family lived
unmolested.
One afternoon the father and moth
er, taking their boat, started for the
settlement across the river to pro-
cure provisions, leaving three chill
dren, of whom they had six, in the
care of the eldest, girl thirteen
years old. For q time nothing oc-
Cured to disturb them, and the chill
dren, with the exception of the old
est sister and the baby, played mer-
rily upon the green around the door.
Suddenly terrible yell broke upon
their ears. and the aflirighted little
ones fed in dismay to their defense
less sister, who found herself, before
she could close the door,
SURROUNDED BY INDIANS.
The chief, seizing her by the hair,
drew his scalping-knife from his
belt, and was in the act of scalping
her, when the shrieks Of the chill
dren, on seeing the danger of their
sister, so exasperated him that, turn
ing from her, he seized the child
nearest to him and. darting to the
door, dashed its head against the
logs till they were. covered with its
blood. The other children shared
the same fate, with the exception of
the infant, which the elder sister
clasped frantically in her arms. One
of the Indians attempted to seize the
little one, but the sister, throwing
herself on her knees, besought him
so piteously not to take it from her
that he seemed moved by her dis
tress; and, after consulting a few
moments with the others, made O
sign for her to follow him from the
house. One Of the Indians, light
ing pine torch, mounted to the
roof, and, setting fire to the bark, the
house was quickly in blaze. They
then started, forcing the two chill
dren along with them.
Heartbroken at the appalling
tragedy she had witnessed, and we'll
nigh paralyzed with fear Of her saw
age captors, the poor girl almost
sank under the misfortunes which
had befallen her. Their route, for
the greater part of the way, was
through an unbroken wilderness, in
tersected by marshes, swamps and
rivers-their food, roots, bark and
wild game. Day after day the poor
captive toiled on, carrying her baby
sister in her arms, while her path
could be traced by the blood that
oozed from her lacerated feet. Some
times the baby would cry with pain
or hunger, when her captors would
threaten with gestures to take its
life. Emaciated with suffering and
hardship, enduring what the strong
est could hardly have borne, she sue
ceedcd in preserving her life till they
reached Quebec; carrying her in her
arms a distance of $50 miles.
This was during the war between
Great Britain and France, and the
Indians who had captured the chill
dren being allies, gave them over to the
French, by whom they were held as
prisoners of war. Their condition,
though much improved, was still
very trying one.
WHEN woLFE's ARMY CANE.
In 1859 Mr.. Pitt, the British Min
lister. marked ont a bold. energetic
plan for the subjugation of the
strongest French posts in America
Niagara, Ticonderoga and Quebec
the three to be attacked simultan-
eously. Gen. Wolfe undertook the
expedition against Quebec. and we
have all read of how his army scaled